TEHRAN — Ali Larijani was killed in an air strike in Tehran on March 17, 2026. He held the post of secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council.

Larijani emerged as the de facto leader of the Islamic republic after Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in an Israeli strike on Feb. 28, 2026. Before the war launched by the United States and Israel on Iran, Khamenei designated Larijani as his preferred candidate to temporarily manage the country in the event of Khamenei's death.

Iran's Supreme National Security Council is the country's key policymaking body. Larijani maintained strong ties with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, intelligence services, and the clerical establishment.

Britain-based political analyst Babak Dorbeiki said in comments about Iran's leadership after Larijani's death, "Among those we know are still within the Islamic republic system right now -- the politicians we can confirm are still [alive] -- there is no replacement for Ali Larijani for this role."

Larijani served as speaker of Iran's parliament for 12 years and worked as a nuclear negotiator during his political career. He shepherded the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers through the Iranian parliament and ran the state broadcaster for a decade.

Larijani served in the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and was not a cleric. Larijani served as a state enforcer during his political career.

Larijani fell from official favor twice and later mounted political comebacks after those setbacks. Larijani spent several years in relative political limbo.

The Guardians Council barred Larijani from running for president in 2021 and 2024. The Guardians Council is a clerical body dominated by hard-liners.

The U.S. Treasury imposed sanctions on Larijani in January 2026 for his role in the state crackdown on mass protests that began in late December 2025 and killed thousands of people. After Iran's 12-day war with Israel and the United States in June 2025, he played an increasingly prominent role as national-security chief.

Larijani was born in Najaf, Iraq, and his father was a prominent religious scholar. He held master's and doctorate degrees in Western philosophy from the University of Tehran and wrote a thesis on the works of Immanuel Kant.

Time magazine once described the Larijani family as the "Kennedys of Iran." Larijani married into the family of Morteza Motahhari, who was the chairman of the Council of the Revolution tasked with establishing the Islamic republic.

On March 13, 2026, Larijani and other senior Iranian leaders appeared on the streets of Tehran as Israel carried out air strikes on the city. March 13, 2026 was the last time Larijani was seen in public.